Enhance student wellbeing with sensory spaces

School leader’s play a pivotal role in fostering a school environment that prioritises health and wellbeing. Adopting a strengths-based, student-centred approach, NCSE published a resource that advocates for the creation and utilisation of sensory spaces within schools. It offers guidelines empowering school staff to collaboratively integrate sensory strategies throughout the school day, fostering a culture where these spaces become integral to the learning experience

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NCSE

The primary objectives of this resource are threefold:

1. Enrich capacity: Strengthen the ability of teachers and school staff to cater to the diverse learning needs of all students, with a special focus on those with sensory requirements.
2. Versatile implementation: Provide teachers with opportunities to deploy sensory spaces across the continuum of support, ranging from whole-school initiatives to targeted group interventions and individualised support.
3. Continuous development: Elevate the learning, knowledge, skills, and reflective capacities of teachers and school staff. This, in turn, facilitates the monitoring of students’ sensory needs and supports the development of self-awareness and self-management skills.

Recognising the heightened vulnerability of students with additional needs and those from vulnerable groups, this resource acknowledges the crucial role of wellbeing in academic success. It posits that students thrive academically when they experience happiness, self-belief, and a sense of acknowledgment and support within their school environment.

Read the full report here.